CY #80

Colson Yankoff

Tight End · UCLA

A former Washington Huskies quarterback who reinvented himself as an undrafted tight end and special-teams grinder for Washington.

Colson Yankoff's path to the NFL has run through three positions and two Pac-12 programs, but it is his special-teams toughness that has kept him on Washington's roster. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024, the converted quarterback-turned-tight end has carved out a niche role built on effort rather than target share.

★ Made Washington's roster as an undrafted free agent after converting from quarterback to receiver to tight end

★ Appeared in Washington's 2024 playoff run on injured reserve activation

★ Recorded first career NFL reception in Week 11 of the 2025 season

Path to the league

Yankoff was a four-star recruit and star quarterback at Coeur d'Alene High School in Idaho who originally committed to Oregon before decommitting when head coach Mark Helfrich was fired. He enrolled at Washington, redshirted, then transferred to UCLA, where he shifted from wide receiver to running back and special teams. He went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Commanders, converting again, this time to tight end.

Career highlights

At UCLA, Yankoff's versatility across receiver, running back, and special teams made him a valuable but unheralded piece of the Bruins' offense. He also earned degrees in economics and education during his college run. His NFL career highlight so far came simply in sticking on an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent who converted positions twice.

2025 season recap

Yankoff opened his rookie 2024 season with 6 game appearances, mostly on special teams (101 special-teams snaps to just 6 offensive snaps) before a November injured-reserve stint; he returned for Washington's playoff run. Entering 2025 as a depth tight end, he caught his first career reception in Week 11 against Miami, a four-yard grab from Marcus Mariota.